Jack Kirby’s Design Influence Is A Force In 'Thor: Ragnarok'

Production designer Dan Hennah talks about bringing Ragnarok to life!

Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” will hit theaters in just a few weeks and soon audiences will get to see a leaner, brighter, universe for our favorite Asgardians and their coworkers.

Production Designer Dan Hennah spoke with Marvel.com about giving life to Asgard and how Jack Kirby’s influence was a running theme throughout the design process. Hennah described how bringing “Thor: Ragnarok” to life was a mix of old and new technology, much like Thor’s transformation in the film.

Asgard is a world of gods, but in “Thor: Ragnarok” we get to see the world in a different light. Hennah explained how this Asgard is something we haven’t seen before on screen, “We sort of tried to give it more of a humanity, tried to come down to the world of real gods and demigods. Of course it would be above and beyond the reach of normal people, but it’s a much more real world.”

“Thor: Ragnarok”

“Refugees have been taken out of the city. So we need to get down to that sort of population a little as opposed to the (larger) world. Asgard is the home of the gods, so the assumption is that most of these people here—thousands of them—are some sort of demigods or children of gods. It’s more about the forces of the gods and the effect that they have on the people.”

While this god-like world is grandiose, with the addition of the general population, Hennah used a trick to make Asgard feel more utilitarian, “It’s home to gods, the previous incarnation was stone and gold. So we stayed with those elements and we’ve stayed with the champions of the architecture to a degree, but also we had this sort of human level of single story, two stories, three stories.” By adding smaller building perspectives, Hennah was able to give a feel of a more practical Asgard.

“Thor: Ragnarok”

How much of Asgard relied on CGI? While walking on set, Hennah explained, “Every set has practical elements to it, but it was like fifty-fifty. In terms of standing here—if they were sitting on the ground level—the wall is real, everything up there is. Inside buildings, ceilings will be digital. But in directive, elements may be practical. You have to test the visual opportunities we’ll get from them. And we also give the actors something very real to work in, to get their lead into the character.”

Visually, it’s hard ignore the huge Jack Kirby influence on this movie. Hennah happened to be a longtime Kirby fan, “1960’s Jack Kirby was our inspiration. I’ve read Jack Kirby comics since I was 15 years old. So for me it was fantastic and to really get deeply into it, I was always just influenced by this big star of the comics.”

“Now our set design becomes another world, you have to analyze how he got his shapes, what they wore, what was put on them, how he used them.” Hennah detailed how King Kirby’s style was incorporated into the production design, “You know, it doesn’t look anything like Jack Kirby, but it does have the influence. So that’s really cool for me to find something—which is the process to design—finding things, subconscious things.”

Kirby’s style heavily influenced the design of the planet Sakaar, “That was really a Jack Kirby influence and Mayes Rubio—who’s costume designer—took the ball we had and ran with it as well, so we sort of were on the same page from day one in terms of the Sakaarian look; the people, the concept of Sakaar.”

“Sakaar’s populated by aliens and the sky in Sakaar has a number of wormholes that deposit space waste. Basically if you’re flying through space, you can get caught in a wormhole, and it’s a bit of a sewer.”

“There’s no vegetation in Sakaar. It’s purely made up of space waste. All the food is made from space waste. There might be cultures of mushrooms or something that I haven’t seen, but generally, it’s all about everything’s coming from outer space, including the population over thousands of years, so there’s blue people and green people—it’s space Vegas basically.”

“Thor: Ragnarok”

The Saakar gladiator arena was rooted in Roman influences, “The early concept work that I inherited was largely Roman based gladiatorial and it’s been done so often that the sandals have worn out, you know. It’s time for something new and so we sort of went all alien with it. We toyed with a lot of different concepts, but we ended up with one where the arena itself is surrounded by bleachers which have standing up bleachers, not sitting down.”

This change allowed for a larger, looming audience concept for the arena, “And so they’re very tall—you can fit two hundred thousand people in there and it goes crazy—and at the very top of it, a spacecraft can sort of be sitting up there looking down into it, hovering.” These stylistic changes allowed for a bigger, badder, confrontation for those two friends who know each other from work.

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'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Teaser Trailer

Enter a universe where more than one wears the mask.

The first teaser trailer has been released for the upcoming Sony Pictures animated film, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.”

Check out the teaser trailer above for your first look at Miles Morales making his big screen debut!

Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the creative minds behind “The Lego Movie” and “21 Jump Street,” bring their unique talents to a fresh vision of a different Spider-Man Universe, with a groundbreaking visual style that’s the first of its kind. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” introduces Brooklyn teen Miles Morales, and the limitless possibilities of the Spider-Verse, where more than one can wear the mask.

“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” will be released in theaters Christmas 2018.

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All Roads Lead to Thanos in First Official 'Avengers: Infinity War' Trailer

Published Nov 29, 2017
By Christine Dinh

In theaters May 4.

There was an idea…

The first official trailer for Marvel Studios’ “Avengers: Infinity War” has finally arrived. We began our Marvel Cinematic Universe journey together back in 2008. All roads lead to Thanos next year. Get your first official look at “Avengers: Infinity War” right here on Marvel.com above.

Following the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” the Avengers as we know it no longer exists. Lines were drawn; sides were chosen. The Avengers is nothing more than a team name without any team members. Can Earth’s Mightiest Heroes put aside their differences and unite once more? Do they even stand a chance against the Mad Titan who delights in their failure and desperation? Can they stop his thirst for power and chaos as he begins to collect the Infinity Stones?

“You can fight it. You can run from it. But destiny still arrives.” We know the trailer brought a smile to your face as much as pain and suffering put one on Thanos’ face. Now excuse us while we watch the trailer a thousand more times!

See the culmination of the last decade of the Marvel Cinematic Universe when “Avengers: Infinity War” opens in theaters on May 4, 2018. Stay tuned to Marvel.com, follow @Avengers on Twitter, and Like “The Avengers” on Facebook for the latest on the Avengers and the rest of the MCU as it develops!

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New 'Black Panther' Character Posters Spotlight the Cast

Get a look at the heroes and villains from Marvel Studios' February 16 release.

Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” released several new character posters recently, spotlighting the impressive cast from the upcoming film.

Check out the gallery above to see the new looks at Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa/Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan as Erik Killmonger, Lupita Nyong’o as Nakia, and many more!

“Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.

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See 'Thor: Ragnarok' in theaters now!

The God of Thunder has finally arrived as Marvel Studios’ “Thor: Ragnarok” opens in theaters today. As the mighty Avenger takes on the Goddess of Death, this fight is the biggest battle Thor has faced but he’s changed and ready to face the challenge with a big, green friend by his side.

Executive Producer Brad Winderbaum spoke with Marvel.com about how Thor has evolved throughout his namesake films and just what makes “Ragnarok” stand out from the series.

“Well just as in ‘Captain America: Winter Soldier,’ we kind of broke down some of the real fundamental ideas about the MCU that you took for granted, specifically S.H.I.E.L.D.. I think that also in Phase One, we established this cosmology that involved Asgard and Odin and certain ideas of things that you just thought were eternal and could never change. And what this film does is it breaks them down in a very similar way that ‘Winter Soldier’ broke down S.H.I.E.L.D..”

“Thor: Ragnarok” showcases the evolution of the films for the “Thor” series. Winderbaum explains how Thor is in a different place both physically and mentally, “He’s now spent years on Earth living with the Avengers, hanging out with Tony Stark. He understands Earth’s sensibilities. He’s got a really quick wit, a great sense of humor, he understands sarcasm in a way he didn’t in the first film. And so from a character perspective, we’re bringing all of that personality into space with them.”

“It is a flip on the fish out of water in a way because now he’s not the butt of the jokes, kind of wandering around, you know, not realizing why things are the way they are. He’s looking at the world and bringing a certain sarcasm and irony to this cosmic landscape.”

In what state do we find our hero after the two years Thor has been adventuring leading up to this film? “We kind of find him as like a lone gunslinger,” describes Winderbaum. “A guy who’s been adventuring around the cosmos, for two years right at the top of our movie. So he’s a more savvy version of [himself].”

Hair doth make the God of Thunder and as we see in the trailer, Thor has lost his golden locks which strips him to his core. “There is a worthiness—what helps someone find self worth—at the core of Thor as a character,” revealed Winderbaum. “That theme remains central in this film as it was in the first one. However in the first one, where he was a petulant prince who had to learn humility; in [“Thor: Ragnarok”] he wants to kind of become a better man—to accept himself as a leader—as a king. As someone who can lead Asgard.”

This time around Thor gets a little help from an old friend. Winderbaum talked about how Hulk came to be an important figure in the “Ragnarok” story. “In the earliest development, we were looking at Planet Hulk as inspiration. Maybe not even to integrate the Hulk into the franchise but the idea of a planet where there’s gladiatorial games as a Thor predicament was really a cool idea to us. Somewhere in the early conversations when it looked like it was going that way, it was a no brainer. As soon as that sparked—it ignited kind of an idea machine—and suddenly he was married to the plot.”

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Zoe Bell Returns to Stunt Work with 'Thor: Ragnarok'

Published Oct 26, 2017
By Jenn Fujikawa

Will Hela defeat the God of Thunder?

Hela, the Goddess of Death, is so formidable it took two fierce woman to take on the role of Marvel’s first female villain. In “Thor: Ragnarok”—alongside Cate Blanchett’s performance—Zoe Bell returned to stunt work to bring the goddess to life.

Marvel.com talked with Bell about creating Hela’s unique movements and what it was like to join the ranks as one of the most memorable miscreants in the Marvel universe.

The process of creating movements for the Goddess of Death was collaborative. “I start figuring out moves that I know she clearly looks more comfortable with, and then between Cate and myself and the guys, we start shifting things so it fits better, and what Cate’s bringing to the character. Then Cate will ask my advice or my input,” said Bell. “This particular separation has been really clever. It’s been a really satisfying process.”

“I haven’t done a whole bunch of motion capture myself,” revealed Bell. “Ironically I sort of stepped away from stunts. This is my coming out of retirement for this one.”

Having gone from stunts right into acting, Bell saw her stunt colleagues start working with motion capture. For Bell, the goal remained the same. “My biggest advice to Cate—and most of the actors I’ve worked with—has always been, we just need to get you as comfortable as possible with whatever you can so that you are relaxed enough to bring the emotion stuff, because that’s what we need the most. The rest of it, if there are any holes—we can fill it.”

For actors who aren’t that familiar with stunt work, the idea can be a little trepidatious. “I think there was a minute where she was just like, I don’t think I can do all of this. So we showed her the bits that we absolutely needed and once she felt comfortable with it, then she actually was like—alright, give me a little bit more—okay, I can probably do that.” Bell explained, “You know, that’s sort of truth for most people, once you take away the onslaught feeling then people realize they’re more capable. She’s far more capable than I think she gives herself credit for.”

Hela is a big presence to say the least, and her headdress takes on a life of its own. “It has been a bit of a consideration for us in terms of our movements but then it also it’s been so collaborative between the departments. It’s my job to work around Cate to make Hela look as amazing as I can. Whatever I can, I add and then it’s their job to work around what they have in the physical world—to embellish on it and make it look amazing.”

So what brought Bell back into the world of stunt work? “Ben Cooke first and foremost and then when Taika came aboard.” Shooting her in native New Zealand was a big plus as well, “I haven’t shot this close to home in over 15 years.”

“Working with Cate was just, even as an actor just to sit and watch her—people would pay money to do that and to be a part of the Marvel family.” Being able to work alongside and learn from the award-winning actress also seemed to seal the deal. “You hire Cate for obvious reasons. We want her to feel as comfortable as possible to bring that power and that energy and that, you know, Blanchett to it. She’s been amazing. She’s been one of my favorites which is a big deal ‘cause I’ve worked with some pretty amazing women.”

Find out if Hela defeats the God of Thunder when “Thor: Ragnarok” opens in theaters on November 3rd!

Hear what awaits the film’s heroes and their unlikely team formation, the Revengers, from the stars themselves as we march towards Ragnarok on November 3. With over a week to go, you don’t have to wait long until you can finally see all the action yourself!